After moving to Mumbai, Anandavalli Chandran took up a permanent career in teaching. She devoted more time to writing, after retirement. She is a bilingual writer as she writes poems, stories, articles, and travelogues in English and Malayalam. She writes in English under the pen name “medhini”. She has a great passion for reading and writing. She also loves music, both vocal and instruments. She watches television and likes to travel and explore. Medhini's English poems have been published as “Deafening Silence”.for which she has been selected as the Winner of book Awards 2020 by Sharing Stories. Apart from “Deafening Silence”, her two Poetry books and a storybook in Malayalam have been published. One more Malayalam Poetry book is in the process of Publication. She has also published some poems in collective groups/forums including a set of Anthologies in English and a Hindi poem in a separate Anthology.
I would like to first thank my parents and family for their emotional contributions and mutual sharing. My mother used to narrate stories of Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Bhagavatam to us, her children. My father who was a Malayalam teacher read a few Malayalam literary works to us and he always encouraged me to read books. My aunty used to tell us stories from famous storybooks before going to bed. In those days my elder sister had the habit of reciting poems and I learned them by heart. I always had a special affection for language teachers during my high school and college days. It may be a coincidence, but I started reading both English and Malayalam books at that time, though, I was not inclined to writing. Post my academic pursuits, taking up a job, marriage, and then raising a family became the priority. Post-retirement, however, I could spend more time on writing poetry and some of my poems appeared in newspapers and magazines which encouraged me to write further and I am grateful for that. The poems of Changampuzha Krishnapilla, Vallatthol Narayana Menon, Kumaranashan, Vailoppilli Sreedharan Nair, and O.N.V. Kurup have fascinated me a lot. I may be failing in my duty if I don’t mention and thank many literary groups such as Sharing Stories, P4poetry.com, Malayalam Facebook groups, writers, friends, and well-wishers for their contributions and encouragement.
Initially, I started writing poems and few stories in English and this continued for a long time. Then I switched to writing poems and stories in Malayalam. Two poetry books such as “Mizhiyeerppam” ( Wetness of eyes ) and “Orizha” ( A thread line ) and a storybook ” Kalikkoppukal ” ( Toys ) in Malayalam have been published. Poems and stories In English, Malayalam, and Hindi are included in Anthologies. A book of poetry in English and another one in Malayalam are in the process of publication. My debut poetry book in English is ” Deafening Silence” which consists of several poems in different types such as quatrains, sonnets, limericks, haikus, and so on.
Few lines from “The green meadow “:
“On a fine morning in cold winter,
The crimson-haired man hadn’t started his stroll – in the east.
Hadn’t cast the bright rays of light on the sand;
And the trees and grass were covered with snow,
Looked very dull and dim and still;
Spread a halo of fear and awfulness.”
Next from ” Night Watchman”(about the owl):
“No one dares to tame me;
or likes to keep me as a pet,
because of my fearsome appearance,
with a broad cat face and large round face. “
From the title poem ” Deafening Silence “:
“I have none here, with whom,
I can trust or pass on
My despair and gloom,
Other than you, my husband, to cry on.
It didn’t happen within a day or few months. When some of my English poems appeared in newspapers and magazines I became urged to write more. I came to know about the website for poetry ( P4poetry.com ) and I just logged in there. There are many writers and we started reading others’ poems and writing comments for them. I was contributing one or two poems daily. It provided a platform not only for writing but for learning also. We learned many useful lessons from there and began experimenting. I never imagined that I would or I would be able to publish a book because I didn’t know about the publishing process and any publisher. Meanwhile, I switched to Malayalam writing and published three books. During the lockdown, I was able to compile together some of my English poems. Somya Aswani, a young college student, helped me in publishing the book, and my dream project ” Deafening Silence” came into being. I am very happy and humbled to say that I was received the “Winner award” in 2020- ’21” for “Deafening Silence” by Sharing Stories.
At present, I am working on another collection of English poems (Volume 2) and hope to get it published soon. The second collection contains different types of poems including seasonal and festival poems. This collection will contain about three hundred and sixty-five small and long poems in total – a poem for every day! I hope readers would read this book with vivid interest and enthusiasm and appreciate it. I earnestly request my readers to buy this book too, to read or recite it, enjoy and give feedback. I would really be happy to receive reviews or feedback on my book ” Deafening Silence”. Readers’ reviews can inspire any author or poet. I need not hesitate to say I too belong to this category.
1) The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi :
Gandhiji had written a beautiful memoir of his way of life on his firm beliefs and the strong pillar of Truth when he was jailed for rigorous imprisonment. His experiments are not just with truth but ahimsa or non -violence. The book demonstrates his incredible humbleness. His writing style is discreet and the contents justify the title. This can be read by children and adults alike.
2) The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru :
The book provides a broad review of Indian history, philosophy, and culture as viewed by him. He wrote the book during his imprisonment. In his book, Nehru says that Indian unity is not something imposed from the outside but rather, it was something deeper and within its fold.
3) The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy :
It’s a novel in which the protagonist, Henchard’s decision to sell his wife and baby daughter haunts him throughout the rest of his life. After many years his wife and daughter come to the city of Casterbridge, where he was the Mayor.
4) William Wordsworth / Poems :
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth :
This is a lyric poem consists of four stanzas with six lines each for a total of twenty-four lines. Each stanza feels independent and self-sufficient called a ” rhyming couplet. ” The poet has used one metaphor in the last stanza as ” They flash upon that inward eye.” Here “inward eye” points out the memory of daffodils. I used to enjoy reciting this poem during my school days. Imageries are there to visualize the poet’s emotions. The theme of the poem is ” Nature’s Beauty” with a mix of happiness and loneliness. His other famous poems are ” The Prelude”, ” The Solitary Reaper ” and ” My Heart Leaps Up”.
5) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:
Pride and Prejudice is a classic in every sense. Written over 200 years back and set in the Regency era, it describes the conventions and life in that period with memorable characters like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
William Wordsworth, Jane Austin, and M.T. Vasudevan Nair are my three favorite authors.
My small family comprises of my two sons and their families. My younger son, Benoy, his wife, Neha, and grandson Shaurya stay with me while my eldest son, Bejoy, and his wife, Saroj are mostly abroad.
I have a passion for reading, writing, and literary discussions and spend most of my time doing that. My 2-year-old grandson is a bundle of joy and I get a lot of joy playing with him and observing this wonderful age of innocence and discovery. I occasionally watch movies, listen to music and poem recitations. I also travel and explore as my health allows. I do like to cook on special occasions but I must admit that this is getting rare with my health.
I don’t have any strong dislikes but I tend to stay away from people who spread negativity with their constant criticisms and falsehoods.
It’s difficult for me to give tips or lessons for young authors in writing. In other words, this is not a subject to be taught as per concepts and theories. Authors must be good readers of great and well-known authors’ books whatever may be their choice of genre. Young authors may find more time to concentrate and derive enthusiasm in reading. While going through the contents they, not only ought to read the contents carefully but also be able to visualize the situations, incidents, and so on. Those who aspire for depth in their work must be in a position to undergo the emotions and experiences of their authors’ to a great extent. One would become what one does read and imbibe. The young authors should cultivate different views and ideas through listening to literary meet and can have discussions on the subject whenever time allows. A few tips are given below:
The mental block/ writer’s block typically occurs when:
Most of the writers have experienced mental block at one point or another in their careers staring at a blank page in their notebooks or on their computers. I have felt it many times as well and creativity dries up abruptly. Some say it’s a psychological inhibition that prevents the writer from writing. Writing involves a challenging mental process with experiments, fear, and uncertainty. We can combat mental blocks to a certain extent by avoiding harsh self-criticism and pressure like self-imposed deadlines. Engaging in physical activity also stimulates the mind. Switching off from work pressure and/or a change of place to dive into free writing may also help to expel writer’s block. Silence is a great refuge to listen to your thoughts and avoid other distractions. Finally, a change of patterns consciously implemented may help to break free and rekindle your creative side.
(I have not included the list given earlier may be referred to)
1. What if you had to live with only three things all your life, what would the three things be?
Love, books, music.
2. What if you were given the power to change one thing from this world, what would you change?
Would try to lessen disparities among the people, as much as possible.
3. What if you had all the money in this world, what would you do first?
Would start schools and colleges in all villages and provide free education to the economically backward children.
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